Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker Announces New Solo Album abysskiss, Shares First Single
Photo by Shervin Lainez
Adrianne Lenker was a solo artist before she ever began writing and performing with her band, the always-prolific Big Thief. In 2014, two years before Big Thief’s first record—Masterpiece—she released Hours Were the Birds, 30 minutes of tender acoustics and her signature autobiographical lyrical style. Now, Lenker is preparing to release another solo project in that same vein, abysskiss, out Oct. 5 on Saddle Creek. On Tuesday, she shared the first single, “cradle,” which you can listen to below.
Gentle and beautiful, “cradle” sways just as its name would imply. It harbors the same emotional rawness that’s on display in Big Thief’s music, but it’s much more stripped down. After several years of recording and touring with the band, Lenker employs transparency and simplicity on the first abysskiss track, as well as her familiar, searing soprano.